“Historically
what made a difference was the New Deal. Lawyers who worked in that
effort and then returned to private practice maintained that approach
to fixing problems. A sea change occurred with Martin Luther King
and the civil rights movement and Sargent Shriver’s War on Poverty.
Today the ABA has a pro bono requirement that makes public service
an ethical obligation of lawyers.”JEROME SHESTACK

“I’m
honored to be among these people [Fellow Roundtable participants].
I see myself as a virus in the law firm where I work. I try to corrupt
others with the virus. Take on one public interest case at a time.”CARL (TOBEY) OXHOLM III

“We
would have been far worse off had we not had the public interest
law movement of the last 35 years. We should celebrate the creation
of this movement.”ALEXANDER POLIKOFF

“John
F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy – today we don’t have
anyone who approximates these men. Had it not been for the Vietnam
War I think Johnson would have been re-elected because of his War
on Poverty…today lawyers have to realize their limits. The only
way we, as public lawyers, are going to be successful is if society
changes. The movements come from the streets.”BRUCE TERRIS